Dental Guards in Tampa
A custom-made cover for the biting surfaces, against grinding at night or impact in sport.
Book a free consultationA dental guard is a custom cover for the biting surfaces, worn at night against grinding or during contact sport against impact. It takes force that would otherwise land on enamel, crowns and veneers.
Night grinding is a twisting motion rather than a straight bite, which is what makes it destructive. It flattens the biting edges, chips the front teeth and shortens the life of porcelain work. Most people do not know they do it until the wear turns up at a check-up or the jaw is tight on waking.
What separates a custom guard from a boil-and-bite tray is the fit. A guard built at the dental lab from a mold of your own arch seats without rocking and spreads the load across every tooth. Dr. Moradian fits guards for patients who grind, and for anyone who has just had crowns or veneers placed and wants that work to last.
Who it suits
A guard suits anyone who grinds at night, wakes with a tight jaw, or shows flat worn edges on the front teeth. It is also the standard protection after crowns or veneers are placed, because grinding is a twisting motion that stresses porcelain and shortens its life.
Dr. Moradian reads the wear pattern on your teeth first, since the guard is built around the way your own bite moves. Anyone in a contact sport is fitted for the same reason, against a single impact rather than nightly force.
Grinding at night
Worn enamel
Jaw pain on waking
Contact sport
What happens, step by step
Assessment
Dr. Moradian looks for flat worn edges, chipped enamel and tenderness in the jaw muscles, which show both that you grind and how hard.
Impression
A mold of the arch goes to the dental lab, which builds the guard to your own bite so it seats without rocking.
Fitting
The guard is tried in and trimmed at the chair until the bite meets evenly across it and nothing presses.
Care
Rinse and brush it after every use, keep it dry in its case, and bring it to check-ups so the wear on it can be read.
Dental Guards questions
How do I know if I grind my teeth?
Most people never hear themselves. The signs show on the teeth: flat, even wear across the biting edges, small chips at the front, enamel worn thin. A tight jaw or a dull headache on waking is the other clue. Dr. Moradian can read the wear at a normal check-up.
Is a custom guard better than a drugstore one?
A drugstore tray is boiled and bitten into, so it fits roughly and sits bulky. A custom guard is built at the dental lab from a mold of your arch, so it seats without rocking and spreads the force across every tooth. A guard that does not fit ends up in a drawer.
Will a guard protect veneers?
If you grind your teeth at night, which is more of a twisting motion, it puts stress on the teeth and reduces the lifespan of the veneers or causes damage. Talk to your dentist about a night guard to protect your new teeth.
How long does a guard last?
That depends on how hard you grind. A guard worn nightly takes force that would otherwise land on enamel, so it wears through in time. Bring it to check-ups; once the surface is thin or perforated it is replaced. Replacing a guard costs less than repairing the teeth under it.
Dental Guards across Tampa Bay
Patients travel from 25 towns across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco. Pick the one nearest you for directions and local questions.
Hillsborough County
Pinellas County
Pasco County
Save a damaged tooth
A tooth that is cracked, decayed or aching can usually be saved. A crown protects a worn or cracked tooth and stops further decay, and a root canal treats it from the inside. Taking it out is the last option, not the first.